Excitement continues to build with OKTAGON set to make its debut in Newcastle on January 27.
MMA veteran and OKTAGON fighter Andrew Fisher previewed the event during our last chat with him.
Speaking with OKTAGON, Fisher said:
Ronald Paradeiser is the guy to beat right now, I should have beaten him when I had the chance. People in Newcastle love MMA, Oktagon needs to keep coming back here to train the fighters. Everyone in the Northeast should support the fighters at OKTAGON 52. ! OKTAGON made me feel like a superstar in my “strange debut”. Nathan Haywood and Dan BainBridge will steal the show on January 27! Fighters who want to enjoy the luxuries of Christmas have weak mentalities! Young fighters should stop thinking too much and just enjoy fighting.
Ronald Paradeiser is the guy to beat right now, I should have beaten him when I had the chance.
I think Ronald Paradeiser is an incredible fighter and a very nice man. He is also very big for his weight class.
There were certain things I could have done better in my fight against him, as I have strengths that I didn’t fully take advantage of.
I think Paradeiser is something special. He has the whole package and I felt like he had beaten Ivan Buchinger. I’m very happy for him because he’s a good guy.
Paradeiser is the guy to beat right now. I think he would do very well in the Gamechanger tournament, but the £1 million prize will attract other great fighters!”
People in Newcastle love MMA, Oktagon needs to keep coming back here to train fighters.
People in the Northeast love MMA fights! We also have some great talent here.
I feel like this region is kind of forgotten and we don’t have the same opportunities in terms of hosting big shows. That means show preparation here isn’t as robust as it would be in Manchester or London.
The North East is home to three large cities – Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough – and the nearest major cities are at least a few hours away. I feel like we as a region need OKTAGON to keep coming back as he will build up all the wrestlers here.
Greater exposure will also help OKTAGON’s finances and ensure that fighters can be fully professional, rather than having day jobs during the week and training at night. It will help boost the reach of the brand and I hope everyone will support it. OKTAGON is investing a lot in advertising to let people know.”
Everyone in the Northeast must support the OKTAGON 52 fighters!
“Can’t wait for OKTAGON 52! “It’s only a few weeks away and I want everyone in the region to support the guys and want to keep coming back when they realize how big the fight is here.”
OKTAGON made me feel like a superstar in my “rare debut”
I loved my OKTAGON debut! I loved the build-up as OKTAGON strives to make you feel like a real fighter with media presence and advertising. You feel like a superstar!
“My debut itself was strange as I own my gym and trained myself, which made it difficult to determine if I was kidding myself in my approach or not! There are some aspects of fighting that I thought I would have been much better at in real-world practice, and I also didn’t have anyone to guide me. My entire career has been like this and I have always learned on the big stage. That’s when I realize where my problems are!
“My debut was a great learning experience and was the quickest way to teach me where my delusions were. I have learned a lot from fighting and now I feel better than ever. “
Nathan Haywood and Dan BainBridge will steal the show on January 27!
“Last week was quiet, but the gym has been very busy this week and people started coming back. There are plenty of pros who would have trained over the Christmas period, and it’s great for people like Nathan Haywood as he was rewarded with a fight, as was Dan Bainbridge. “They are relatively new professionals and will have the opportunity to fight at this massive show on January 27.”
“Nathan Haywood and Daniel Bainbridge are both very exciting fighters. Dan is a true knockout artist, while Nathan has a background in more traditional martial arts. He has a very long reach and many elegant kicks in his arsenal.
“I don’t remember either of them engaging in a boring fight!”
Fighters who want to enjoy the luxuries of Christmas have weak mentalities!
”Many people complain about missing out on the luxuries of Christmas, but if you want to be a great fighter, you have to accept that you can’t afford too much during the festive period.
I think people who can’t maintain discipline have a weak mentality during the holidays. My fighters have been fine though, as Dan Bainbridge was very open to getting on the card and stayed as disciplined as possible to ensure he got called up, which he did, with three weeks left. He has remained very focused. That’s the attitude all fighters should have first.”
Young fighters should stop thinking too much and just enjoy fighting.
“The most important advice I would give to young fighters is to just enjoy it. Fighters can sometimes put too much pressure on themselves and think they have to get somewhere. However, I think people are exactly where they need to be right now and should just have fun in the sport.
“I was guilty of putting pressure on myself and I fought poorly because of it. Many of the younger kids need to stop thinking, enjoy the training, and find a way to enjoy the spankings! They can learn from that. Many young fighters want to be on the big stage as soon as possible, but they are often unprepared.
“I would also say that aspiring fighters should look for those who are where they hope to be and try to get advice from them. “That will give you an idea of how they got there and how they do things.”
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. He is passionate about combat sports and is also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He is also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
